3663/The First Thing...

The First Thing...
Date of Scene:	02 October 2020
Location:	Belle Reve
Synopsis:	First evening at Belle Reve for Spiral. Good news is there is gumbo at the cafeteria.
Cast of Characters:	Cole Cash, Spiral

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Cole Cash has posed:
To be honest, when Cole kinda invited Spiral to join him at the staff cafeteria he didn't expect her to come. In fact, he expected Waller would implant a bomb in her head (without anaesthesia) and give her one of her intimidating speeches. He was about seventy percent sure. No more, because Waller is anything but predictable.

The place is almost empty, since it is pretty late. Of the two dozen or so tables, only three have people at the moment. On a corner, four burly guys in prison guard uniforms (sans helmets) are playing poker at quick pace. Cole was going to join them in a few minutes.

At the other side, half a dozen white-coats with mugs of coffee are talking techno-babble. Something about flux compressors and psy-tech forcefields. Gibberish!

The third, smaller table, is Cole's. He is just sitting down with a steaming pot of something that seems to mix shrimp, chicken, rice and several different vegetables and spices.

Spiral has posed:
Waller has been up to something with Spiral, and presumably will be up to some more in the future. Though what, is anybody's guess, really. In any case they clearly don't want Spiral vanishing just yet. She's walking around minus the duct tape and straitjacket - but most of the handcuffs are still on. Four hands are cuffed tightly behind her back in an X, the top two hands are free - but with huge mittens and handcuffs on.

She doesn't look very comfortable. Or happy. But maybe a bit more than earlier.

She stalks through the room, and kicks a chair out of the way opposite Cole so she can sit on it - though with her arms like that she doesn't lean back, as that wouldn't be very comfy at all. "So. This is the famous gumbo." she says, looking down at the pot and making assumptions.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole blinks slowly as the six-armed woman joins him. "Hmmhmm," he confirms. "It is, here..." he shoves the bowl to her, as he had yet to start. "I'll get some more," he explains. "We have a good cook. The cafeteria food is not usually very good, but for a little extra," he fingerguns to the gumbo.

"Do you know the first rule in the army?" He asks with a faint smirk. "It is exactly the same in a prison."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral is a sorceress mutant from another dimension, she certainly hasn't been in either the army or a prison before. She's not a huge fan of human food either, though neither does she dislike it that much, so she merely looks down at the gumbo in mild curiosity. Well, it smells edible, at least.

She tries to pick up a spoon with a mitten clad hand. It's pretty hard.

"It seems to be a different rule for me. No fingers. That would be bad in a battle.". She shrugs, and thinks. She does, after all, have a plethora of human war movies to draw from, some get the ratings after all. "Hmm.". She racks her brains, and eventually says, "Every man I kill, the further from home I feel?".

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole chuckles. Then shakes his head, and leans forward. As if he was revealing a big secret. "The first rule is: Make friends in the kitchen." He stand up to let Spiral struggle with the spoon for a few minutes. The gumbo would be considered top notch for Louisianan standards. It is very hot and very spicy, too.

Five minutes later, the blond man returns with a new bowl for himself and a pitcher of water. "What was your deal, anyway?"

Spiral has posed:
Spiral merely shakes her head at Cole's simple wisdom. "That is a very human ant thing to say." she replies, and then sets to trying to use this spoon.

She has given up on the gumbo by the time he gets back, the spoon left on the table. If she could use a spoon, she could probably cast a spell, or at least that's what whoever was tying her up seemed to think. Her file makes for some pretty scary reading probably, even though she's been 'hooked' now, they are giving her some cooling off time, make her grateful when the cuffs come off.

"My deal? I am a vat grown slave made in a different dimension to this, one that was employed by a mad dictator as his acquirer of talent, and bodyguard and right hand woman. However, we did not get on very well, because he's a crazy, idiotic fool, and he eventually banished me to Earth. Which I am familiar with while working for him.". A sigh, and she adds, "But he needs me to cross dimensions easily so he'll probably be back for me at some point. Hopefully not soon".

Cole Cash has posed:
That is a weirder story than most. So, Cole nods politely. "You better have some fun while you can," he suggests, grabbing his spoon. "Or not, if that was what landed you here." He tries the food, finds it properly scorching and begins eating. "Anyway, overpowered idiots aren't the worst bosses. Usually one can arrange for a banishing to an interesting place. Did you manage to piss him off a little too much?"

Spiral has posed:
Spiral smirks her psycho-smirk at that. "He finally got fed up with my having better ideas than him. He's such an idiot... it's surprising he's still in charge. But somehow, he endures, despite humiliating himself at every turn. He was always insufferable but of late, he's... demeaning, too. To himself. And I would point it out every time.".

She shrugs as best she can given how she's tied up so. "He is fat, too. Very fat.". Her lip curls in distaste. "Always fat people. This is the third, now, I think.".

She watches him eat for a moment, and then asks, "You know the clown? Harley Quinn?" she wonders. "She worked with you as well?".

Cole Cash has posed:
"That all sounds amusing," admits Cole, chomping down his gumbo, "did he have pointy hair too?" A life of mocking one stupid boss is much better than some other options. Then again, if Spiral was so far smarter, she wouldn't be here. So, he takes the woman's statements with a pinch of salt.

"Not in person," he says about Harley. "She is somewhat famous in certain circles, and so I have heard of her. I can't fathom why Waller would recruit her, but what would be life without some mystery?"

Rhetorical question, "if you are hungry I could free one of your hands. Waller will yell at me later, but if she considered it truly dangerous, you wouldn't be here."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral arches a brow. "No, he doesn't have any hair.". And she may be pretty smart, but she has her weaknesses. Recklessness and overconfidence is a bad combination. "Ah. I wonder who her other friends are." she muses. "And apparently she has worked for this Waller before, many times. Or at least, so I was told.".

At the offer she smiles and flops one hand down onto the table. It's not going to be easy to get the many layers of material on there off, but having usable fingers probably gives him an advantage over Spiral.

"So, you either don't think I'm very dangerous, or you trust me. Should I be insulted, human?" she wonders. "What is your name?". Maybe he told her, but she was quite angry at the time.

Cole Cash has posed:
"Cole. Cole Cash," replies the blonde man. Then he stabs the offered hand. With a knife, that appeared from somewhere. Too fast to see.

Somehow, he missed the flesh, but the gloves, mittens and even the steel handcuff; they are cut and thorn from wrist to the tip of the index finger. "I don't trust you," he points out, the knife vanishing with a flourish. He must keep it strapped to his forearm. "But I am not subtle with my insults either. So, neither," he flashes a grin. "Enjoy your dinner."

Spiral has posed:
It turns out her hands only have three fingers and a thumb as she lifts it up and shakes it, getting the bits off her hand. Still, 24 digits is enough for anybody. "Well. You'll be scaring the guards now.". And she points at one of the prison guards, probably not the wisest move, but then, she is reckless!

"Nothing in those insults I couldn't do with some effort." she points out, as she picks up the spoon and delicately eats some prison gumbo. Harley would be impressed, she's the one thinking Spiral doesn't look after herself after all.

"The Waller will not be happy I think if she summons me again. But maybe they'll be letting me go, so maybe you'll be lucky too." she smiles. "I'm quite happy to murder people for your government after all.".

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole shrugs. The guards playing poker did certainly glance over. The ones by the door, who were watching thinking they were sneaky, were very startled. But they had been too bored just before, anyway.

"She is never happy anymore," comments the blonde man, looking vaguely unhappy himself. "There are cameras, of course. Almost everywhere in Belle Reve." Just like in Mojoworld, except for the cheering crowds of witless spectators. Instead the audience is formed by nervous prison guards, curious scientists, the odd psychiatrist trying to figure out Spiral's mind, and, of course, a scheming DEO Director.

Spiral has posed:
"It's alright, Cole. I will not be running off just yet. It would be more trouble than it is worth." Spiral admits. "And I'm feeling calm at the moment. I can't even see my own corrupted form without some effort on my part." she admits, loking down at the table. Look, two hands! Okay, she can feel the others but it's not quite the same when they are pinned out of the way.

Spiral's had Harley Quinn trying to figure out her mind for the last month, it can't really get much worse than that unless Hugo Strange is on the payroll.

"I'm not really interested in your bureaucratic politics much. So long as we all play as straight as possible with one another.". Spiral's very name implies otherwise, hence the 'as possible'.

Cole Cash has posed:
Corrupted form, uh? "You don't look too bad from here," offers Cole. The playing straight is fine for him, but he knows better. Survival chances will improve if they can figure out the game, after all. Besides, there is not much more to do in Belle Reve.

Cole could leave, but he has been 'asked' to stay. Waller has revenge in mind for the loss of the previous Squad. There will be plenty of fighting, or plenty of murder, very soon.

Spiral has posed:
Her freed hand goes to her triplet of arms on the other side of her body, as even with four hands behind her back her upper arms are plenty visible. One of them even half metal. "In that case there must be something wrong with your eyes. I am corrupted in mind and body." she replies, her glowing white eyes glowing a little more for a brief moment as she frowns. She's not really sounding that mournful about it, just stating a fact.

"At least the clownette has the correct number of arms.". Even if she can't make her puke, hinting at a most disturbed individual.

"No doubt I will be your transport. Somehow I doubt the Waller will be allowing me to make improvements to her team.". She licks her lips at that, smirking again.

Cole Cash has posed:
"I don't care about the number of arms," replies Cole, finishing his bowl. "You are a little odd for human standards, I guess. But seriously, normal is overrated." And that ship long left the port for Grifter. The talk about 'improvements' receives no response, but he hopes Waller knows better.

'Improvements' was what ruined Cole's military career, after all. Killed a few friends, too.

"Oh. Looking forward to meet you clown friend." So. Not. Really.

Spiral has posed:
"This team will be a lot more pleasant with her in it, I suspect. Though maybe not as efficient.". Spiral waves her free hand, and as she does so, the restraints on the others jingle as she subconsciously wants to move them as well. Those arms have to be free!

"But this doesn't seem to be an efficient group if everybody keeps getting killed." she notes, a bit amused. She doesn't mind starring in the Dirty Dozen though. It'll be fun!

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole hehs. "I suppose it is efficient enough for some... things," otherwise it wouldn't keep going. He also expects a bit of backstabbing. Spiral seems the odd duck, though. Murderously friendly at times. Maybe it is her alien way of dealing with the situation.

"Amusingly, Waller seems to agree with you." Somehow, he suspects it is not because Harley will make everything more pleasant.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral is just appreciating the ratings bestowed on her by starring in an enterprise like this. Maybe she should be recording it all? "Well. I will just help you /soldiers/ get on with it, mostly. I'm sure you know what you are doin better than I." she says silkily.

Then she holds out her other hand. "You want to free this one, as well?" she wonders, a trace of hopefulness in her voice. "Then I will just be like a human, and the people here have nothing to worry about from humans.".

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole laughs with little humor at that statement. "Girl, the people here has more to worry about humans than about anything else," beat, "and so do /you/. Let's keep it to one hand per meal, hmm?" He stands up. "I think, maybe I'll see you for breakfast. If you are still around."